How Color Affects Purchasing Decisions
Color is one of the most important aspects of marketing today. Today modern shoppers consider color more than any other factor when looking to purchase a new product. Overall, 62%-90% of purchasing decisions come down to color meaning business owners looking to better their marketing strategy should be focusing more on how their customers will respond to their color pallet.
Color can be used for many ways when marketing. Different colors can increase appetite, enhance mood, boost attention spans, and even calm down customers. This is a result of the different ways the human brain responds to different colors and tones. Warm tones such as those in reds and oranges can increase pulse rates and circulation, creating a sense of urgency in customers that can lead to increased sales. Red is often used for call-to-action buttons on websites, as it motivates customers to click on them more.
Cool tones like greens and blues create a sense of peace, and these colors can be used to relax customers and quell instances of buyer’s remorse. The color blue also creates feelings of trust in customers, and this may be a contributing factor as to why so many companies that use blue in their branding have been around for so long. Green is often used to promote a mental equilibrium which can help customers be more decisive in their purchases
Did you know that black is one of the top three favorite colors of men? This could be due to the fact that black conveys strength, confidence, and power. When used in marketing, black can create feelings of sophistication and mystery in products which can increase sales overall. Many designer brands such as Prada utilize black in order to market their high-quality products.
On the other hand, purple is one of the top three favorite colors of women. Purple denotes luxury and royalty, and can be perfect for symbolic associations for products marketed towards women. Men seem to not like purple as much, with it being in the bottom three favorite colors for the group. This is why purple is often used in the branding of anti-aging products or cosmetics, as women will be more drawn to them. Purple also encourages creativity and problem-solving!
Knowledge of how colors affect the brain is not all it takes to market successfully, you need to know your audience. Marketing high-end products using black may be successful, but using black to promote a new line of cookware may not. Consider using yellow instead which increases appetite and evokes a cheery attitude. A product that is used as a sleep-aid would not do well marketed as red which is a more aggressive tone. Completely rebranding from an all green brand to orange may be jarring or off putting to current customers. Finding the perfect balance between product, audience, and color will lead to a much more successful marketing strategy overall.
Color can be a very useful tool when looking to market a new product or rebrand your current business. Learn more about how to utilize the psychology of color in marketing in your next business venture in the infographic below:
The Psychology of Color In Marketing and Branding